Protective shield for shoe-lace hooks.



Rf]. COLE.

PROTECTIVE SHIELD FO R SHOE LACE HOOKS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. a. 1915.

I Patented May30, 1916.

RUFUS J'.

COLE,

OF PASADENA, CALIFORNIA.

PROTECTIVE SHIELD FOR SHOE-LACE HOOKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May so, 1916.

Application filed February 8, 1915. Serial No. 6,738.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUFUS J. Conn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pasadena, in the county of Los Angeles and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in ProtectiveShields for Shoe-Lace Hooks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates more specifically to a hook end guard for shoe lacehooks, and an important object is to provide a guard preferably formedof a single piece of material that may be mounted on a shoe, whereby thefree end of the hook will be prevented from becoming entangled instrings, cords, rope, brush or like foreign material.

A further object of my invention is to provide a guard which may bereadily applied to a shoe or boot, and which will not prevent easy andready engagement of the boot laces to the hooks.

Heretofore shoes, and particularly hunting boots have been provided withlacing hooks in order to expedite the lacing operation of the boot bythe wearer, but the advantage of easy and ready lacing has beennullified by the disadvantages accruing to the wearer when passingthrough forests and rough country, as the free ends of the hooks becomeentangled with twigs, brush, cords and other material, making walkingdifficult, breaking and bending the hooks, and sometimes tripping thewearer.

By means of my improved guards the above recited disadvantages areobviated, as the guards prevent engagement with obstructions, and at thesame time permit the ready engagement and disengagement of the laces toand from the hooks.

The accompanying drawing illustrates em bodiments of my invention inwhich:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the hook. Fig. 2 is a vertical crosssection of the hook shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a hookshowing a modified fastening means. Fig. 4 shows my improved hookapplied to a boot. I

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 whichillustrate a combined hook guard construction, 1 designates a guardmember, 2 a hook formed integral therewith, the base being provided withsecuring means 3 and 9 for ready attachment to the material forming theboot or shoe. As clearly shown in Fig. 2, the guard 1 comprises a flatbase portion 6, an up-bent portion 5, and a returned bent portion 4:.The guard is shown as a crescent shaped member which has its lower sidein one plane and its upper side partly in another plane which issubstantially parallel to the lower plane. The ends of the crescentshaped member taper toward the bottom of the standard 7, thus formingwith the hook 2 a channel to receive the lace. The guard which forms ashield for the hook which effectually turns aside any foreign -materialsuch as fibers, twigs, strings or cord which would enter a hook notprovided with my improved guard, and yet permits ready engagement of thelace. The hook 2 consists of a standard 7 and an inbent hook end 8 whichis here shown as a concaved disk. My guard may be attached to thematerial by any well known means, a convenient one being an eye 3 whichis concentric with the disk 8, or if desired, the fastening means mayconsist of prongs 10, as shown in Fig. 3. Prongs are forced through thefabric and bent backward. As additional means an eye 9 may be added ifdesired.

The structure shown is preferably made of stamped metal, suchconstruction bein light and economical to manufacture, but various otherwell known means of forming my novel guard and hook may be used.

lVhat I claim is:-

1. The combination of a vertically disposed standard, the end beingturned substantially at right angles to said standard to form a hook, ahook guard member of crescent form so disposed that the hook liespartially within the concavity of said guard with the upper edge lyingin substantially the same plane as the hook, there being a channelformed between the hook and guard to permit the insertion therein of ashoe lace.

2. A combination shoe lace hook and guard therefor, comprising anintegral member formed of sheet metal having a base with attachingmeans, said base formed with a vertically disposed standard extendingupwardly therefrom, the end being turned substantially at right anglesto the standard to form a hook, a hook guard formed on said base by anindentation therein providing a crescent guard so disposed that the hookIn Witness that I claim the foregoing I lies Within the concave portionof said guard have hereunto subscribed my name this 28th with the upperedge of said guard lying'in day of January, 1915.

substantially the same plane as the hook RUFUS J. COLE. 5 member, therebeing a channel formed be- Vitnesses:

tween the hook and guard to permit the in- MILDRED BATES,

sertion therein of a shoe lace. MARGUERITE BATES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Batents.

Washington, D. G.

